ARE YOU STRIVING TO BE ON THE NARROW PATH AND ENTER THE NARROW GATE ?

8/13/2019

AS I LOOK BACK UPON MY LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN, I REALIZE THAT IT IS A JOURNEY THAT REQUIRES MUCH MORE THAN JUST A BELIEF IN GOD. MY REAL JOURNEY WITH JESUS BEGAN AS A 17 YEAR OLD BOY. I WAS RAISED BY PARENTS WHO CERTAINLY KNEW GOD, AND HAD FAITH IN THEIR LIFE. THEY ALSO HAD BEEN RAISED BY PARENTS WHO HAD CHURCH AS A CORNERSTONE. MY MOM WAS CATHOLIC, AND MY DAD WAS METHODIST. INTERESTINGLY, MY SISTER AND I SPENT OUR SUNDAYS AT A COMMUNITY CHURCH IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE WENT TO SUNDAY SCHOOL AND ATTENDED A FEW CHURCH ACTIVITIES, BUT OUR PARENTS WERE NEVER WHAT I WOULD CALL “ZEALOUS CHURCH PEOPLE”. AT 14 MY DAD GAVE ME THE CHOICE OF CONTINUING TO GO TO CHURCH OR QUITTING. YOU GUESSED IT, I PROMPTLY AND EAGERLY QUIT GOING ! IT SEEMED TO ME THAT WHAT THE CHURCH WAS ALWAYS ASKING FOR WAS FOR MONEY TO GET BIGGER AND HAVE NICER WORSHIP AREAS AND MORE ACTIVITIES. WHAT I DON’T RECALL WAS EVER GAINING AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHO GOD WAS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHO GOD WAS TO ME. FORTUNATELY, MY GRANDMOTHER ( MY MOM’S MOM ) HAD AN AMAZING GIFT TO SHARE GOD AND TO MAKE HIM REAL. I USED TO JOIN HER SOMETIMES AT MASS, AND EVEN THOUGH I WASN’T REALLY EVER COMFORTABLE WITH ALL THE FORMALITIES OF THE CATHOLIC SERVICES, MY GRANDMOTHER MADE ONE THING PERFECTLY CLEAR TO ME. JESUS WAS REAL, AND HE LOVED ME, AND HE WANTED TO BE MY SAVIOR, MY FRIEND, MY CONFIDANT, AND MY LORD. AND I KNEW SHE WAS RIGHT, AND I WILL BE EVER THANKFUL TO HER FOR ENCOURAGING ME, AND HELPING ME TO SEE HIM AND HIS LOVE FOR ME. SHE SHOWED ME THAT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD WAS MINE. UNIQUE AND PERSONAL AND A GIFT. THAT WAS 46 YEARS AGO…..

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY. MY LIFE IS A LOT DIFFERENT, AND I AM MUCH FURTHER ALONG ON MY JOURNEY WITH GOD. I HAVE BEEN TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT CHURCHES. I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED AS A YOUTH COUNSELOR AND A YOUTH LEADER. I HAVE BEEN IN BIBLE STUDIES, SMALL GROUPS, WEEKEND RETREATS….A WHOLE BUNCH OF CHURCH TYPE THINGS…..AND A LOT OF THEM WERE AWESOME. BUT I KEPT THINKING TO MYSELF,….WHEN DO I REALLY GET TO FOCUS ON GOD JUST BY MYSELF ? THAT QUIET MOMENT WHEN I AM KNEELING IN WORSHIP, AND HE TOUCHES ME. SPEAKS TO ME. SMILES AT ME. THE MOMENT HE GRASPS MY SHOULDERS AND MY HEART AND SAYS, ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THE NARROW PATH? IT WON’T BE EASY ALWAYS, BUT I WILL BE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE. FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD IS THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION, AND MANY ENTER THROUGH IT. BUT SMALL IS THE GATE AND NARROW THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND ONLY A FEW FIND IT. Matthew 7: 13-14

SOMEONE ASKED HIM, “ LORD, ARE ONLY A FEW GOING TO BE SAVED ?” HE SAID TO THEM. STRIVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW DOOR. FOR MANY, I TELL YOU, WILL SEEK TO ENTER AND NOT BE ABLE. WHEN ONCE THE MASTER OF THE HOUSE HAS RISEN AND SHUT THE DOOR, AND YOU BEGIN TO STAND AT THE DOOR OUTSIDE, AND TO KNOCK AT THE DOOR SAYING ‘LORD, OPEN TO US,’ THEN HE WILL ANSWER YOU, ‘ I DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU COME FROM.’

THE NARROW PATH, AND THE NARROW GATE. THIS IS WHAT I KNOW FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE. THE PATH REQUIRES A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THE FATHER. THE PATH REQUIRES YOU TO SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO JESUS, AND LET HIM GUIDE YOUR EVERY STEP. PREPARE TO FALL MORE THAN ONCE ON YOUR FACE, BUT LEARN FROM EVERY FALL, AND TRUST THAT JESUS WILL MAKE YOUR STEPS MORE SOLID AND MORE SURE THE FURTHER YOU GO. THE PATH REQUIRES TRUST IN GOD AND HIS WORD, AND THEY ARE YOUR ONLY DIRECTIONS THAT WILL KEEP YOU ON THE PATH. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR COMPROMISE OR SHORTCUTS. NO ROOM FOR THE DESIRES AND TWISTED PATHS OF THE WORLD. THE NARROW PATH IS STRAIGHT AND TRUE, AND ALTHOUGH OTHER PATHS SEEM EASIER OR OFFER POSSIBILITIES, THEY WILL NEVER LEAD YOU TO THE NARROW GATE. YOU WILL ENCOUNTER FALSE DIRECTIONS AND GUIDES. PASS THEM BY. GOD’S WORD IS YOUR STAFF AND YOUR COMPASS. LEARN AND MEMORIZE GOD’S WORD. IT WILL KEEP YOU SAFE AND MOVE TEMPTATION AND STRIFE AWAY FROM YOU. PRAY CONSTANTLY, THAT GOD’S VOICE IS ALWAYS IN YOUR HEAD AND YOUR HEART, SHOWING YOU TRUTH, NOT DECEPTION. KEEP YOUR MIND FOCUSED ON GOD, SEEK HIS KINGDOM, HIS GOODNESS, AND HIS PROMISES FOR YOU AS A ROYAL SON OR DAUGHTER WHO WILL DWELL IN HIS KINGDOM, AND HAVE ETERNAL LIFE WITH HIM. ABOVE ALL FIND JOY IN BEING WITH HIM, SHARING HIS LOVE WITH ALL YOU MEET, FELLOWSHIPPING AND WORSHIPPING WITH OTHERS OF LIKE MIND AND HEART, AND KEEP LOOKING UPWARD AND STRIVING IN HIS POWER AND STRENGTH AS THE GATE COMES EVER CLOSER. LASTLY, THE NARROW PATH AND GATE ARE A CHOICE. KNOW THAT IF YOU MAKE THIS CHOICE, YOU WILL HAVE TO BE TRUE TO THE FINISH, LEST YOU COMPROMISE, SEEK AN EASIER WAY, OR EVEN THINK THAT SOMEHOW YOU CAN MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN. JESUS IS ABUNDANCE, GRACE, TRUTH, HOPE, AND LIFE. ABIDE IN HIM IN EVERY STEP YOU TAKE AND KNOW HE IS WITH YOU FOREVER, EVEN UNTO ETERNITY ! SOMEDAY, REACH THE NARROW GATE, AND PASS THROUGH IT…..AND SEE THE MAJESTY OF THE ONE TRUE GOD ! BEHOLD, YOU ARE HIS :)

THEN ONE OF THE ELDERS ASKED ME, “THESE IN WHITE ROBES-WHO ARE THEY, AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?” I ANSWERED, “SIR YOU KNOW.” AND HE SAID, “THESE ARE THEY WHO HAVE COME OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION; THEY HAVE WASHED THEIR ROBES AND MADE THEM WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. THEREFORE “THEY ARE BEFORE THE THRONE OF GOD AND SERVE HIM DAY AND NIGHT IN HIS TEMPLE; AND HE WHO SITS ON THE THRONE WILL SHELTER THEM WITH HIS PRESENCE. “NEVER AGAIN WILL THEY HUNGER, NEVER AGAIN WILL THEY THIRST. THE SUN WILL NOT BEAT DOWN ON THEM, NOR ANY SCORCHING HEAT. FOR THE LAMB AT THE CENTER OF THE THRONE WILL BE THEIR SHEPHERD; HE WILL LEAD THEM TO SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER. “ AND GOD WILL WIPE AWAY EVERY TEAR FROM THEIR EYES”. Revelation 7: 13-17

HIS PROMISE IS REAL, AND IT IS YOURS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GIVE YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FUTURE TO JESUS :) FIND THE NARROW PATH AND CHOOSE TO WALK THROUGH THE NARROW GATE/JA